xx the H O P E of a c e n t u r y xx
by xx. SilverTongue .xx
Summary: For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope" Alice saw him almost thirty years ago. Now, that first vision is about to be fulfilled.


_Nothing much to say except "ENJOY!" Reviews would be nice, even if they're just little comments or thoughts that popped into your mind while reading my story. Keep in mind, this is my first ever fanfic, so a little gentility would be appreciated. And hopefully updates will be fairly quick in coming (it all depends on my muse...)_

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Annett's Diner. My dark irises flickered over the neon sign proclaiming the little Philadelphia diner to be open. I could see even from hwere I stood on the other side of the street that the small, brightly lit place was half empty of customers. Still, it was raining and, it being a holiday, Annett's was the only place open. I didn't dare risk drawing attention to myself by continuing my walk in the rain. My eyes were dark enough to go un-noticed, but that meant that I was hungry, which worried me; how long could I hold out with the scent of ten humans saturating the air around me?

My mind was made up for me as the emotions of a police officer across the street morphed from curiosity to suspicion as I continued to stand in the steadily worsening rain. Before he could do more than shift his weight in my direction, I was moving at a human pace across the street. I paused at the door , taking a deep breath in preparation for the scents and feelings about to assault me, then gripped the handle and stepped inside.

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"Still nothing dear?" I glanced up from where I was contemplating my cup of coffee rather than drinking it, and nodded, smiling wistfully. Bridgett, the widowed owner of the diner, patted my hand sympathetically before continuing her wipe-down of the counter. Luckily, my hand was warm from being wrapped around the coffee mug, and she noticed nothing unusual.

Over the past six months, the middle-aged woman had become familiar with both my story and myself. She knew that I was waiting for _him, _a young man who would be here someday, sometime in this diner. I smiled at my coffee as I thought of the day she had gotten the story out of me, about two weeks after I had started coming here.

"_So all you know is that he's just gonna show up someday?"_

_I nodded and she raised an eyebrow, skeptical_

_"You don't even know when, just someday. What if he doesn't show?"_

_I blinked at her and shrugged "He will. He just…will"_

_Her eyebrows disappeared into her flyaway hair at my total conviction. She pursed her lips "Well, this Mister…Whitlock, you said? This Mr. Whitlock's lucky to have someone so devoted"_

I held my breath as one of the part time waitresses bustled past and I knew I'd need to hunt soon, probably tonight. I let out a sigh, stirring my coffee absently. I was becoming more and more uncertain as time passed, loosing confidence. I comforted myself by taking another peek at my vision. A tall, honey-blond vampire in his late teens or early twenties, standing in the doorway. He was tall, his features indistinct and his hair was splattered with rain spots.

"God in heaven bless me he came. Those six long months and I thought the poor mite must end up disappointed."

My head came up at Bridgett's hushed voice. She was standing at the register, staring at…I turned my head in the direction of her stare and my breath caught in my throat. There he was, after so long waiting, there he was. Jasper, _my_ Jasper and I realized that my indistinct, blurry visions hadn't done him justice. His eyes flickered around the room, pausing in several places, and then met mine. Even over the bubble of human chatter I could hear the sudden catch in his breath, mimicking my own.

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The bell on the door jangled, loud in my ears, as I entered the diner, but that was not what made me flinch. The scent of them, comfortable and well fed, unafraid was agony on my suddenly parched throat and their emotions over powered me momentarily, knocking my own emotions into a disorganized heap. It took me less than a second to reorganize my feelings and then I was looking around, my military instinct taking in everything.

The young, pretty waitress who was taking orders at a nearby table was eying me as she chewed a wad of gum; her emotions flicked from boredom to keen interest as I met her gaze, her eyes flicking down and then back up again. I resisted the urge to growl and turned my gaze away. I let my eyes rest briefly on an elderly couple, two men chatting quietly, and an arguing pair. I soothed their anger with each other, and then my eyes moved on to her.

Dark amber eyes met mine beneath a fringe of wild, inky hair and I caught a vampire scent as my breath hitched and halted.

I tensed, taking a subtly defensive stance as she turned and hopped from her seat. The vampire, younger than I at her death, was tiny with pixie-like features and a hallow of wild black hair. She walked-danced-toward me, and her emotions were unlike anything I'd ever encountered. Despite the intensity of…_her_, I kept my defensive stance, unable to come up with any explanation but attack.

"You've kept me waiting a long time"

"I'm sorry ma'am." Instinct and the remnants of my human southern manners kicked in and I ducked my head, touching my fingers to my brow as I spoke.

She was smiling, her emotions still astounding, as she held out one small slender had. Without a moment's hesitation, I reached out and took it, relaxing as she studied me, a blissful smile on her angelic face. . Her brows twitched down and her lips pursed as she took in my eyes and the scars marking my jaw, neck and face. A wash of surprise rolled off her, heightening my own and her mouth popped open, forming a round "o" as her emotions shifted rapidly to fright, wonder and…a mixture of sorrow and fury. She reached one hand up and, before I knew what she was doing, brushed the two scars above my left eye, made distinct by my frown.

My first, instinctual reaction at her touch was to flinch away, which I did. The second action seemed to surprise only me. I reached out and gentle her emotions, calming her and smoothing the wrinkle between her dark eyes.

I began to speak as she pulled me to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. "I'm-"

"Jasper Whitlock, I know." She interrupted me with a smug smile "Like I said, you've kept me waiting."

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Oh, he was so perfect it took my breath away. I knew my eyes were sparkling with excitement as I twisted and hopped from my seat on the high stool. He looked wart as I danced toward him, smiling excitedly. "You've kept me waiting a long time" I murmured, more to myself than him.

"I'm sorry Ma'am" he had the tiniest hint of a southern accent and I smiled as he touched his fingers to his forehead in a slight salute, ducking his head like a good southern gentleman.

I caught a flicker of the future as, still smiling, I reached out my hand to him.

_"I'm Jasper Whitlock. If I may, how'd you know that I was coming?"_

'Jasper…' I relished the sound of his name as he relaxed, engulfing my hand in his. A blissful smile on my lips, I studied his perfect face…. and found, not imperfections, but differences. The first thing I noticed were his eyes. They were not dark gold like mine, as I had expected, but the dark maroon of a traditional diet. I hid my surprise and continued to study his face.

I frowned, unsure as my eyes located a raised crescent on his pale, perfect skin. As I continued to look, I realized the curious shape was reflected across over his neck jaw and even face. My lips formed a silent 'o' of realization as I recognized the crescents for what they were; scars. He had been bitten so many times that his smooth skin was a tapestry of tooth marks. I couldn't help my sudden combination of fear, wonder and fury as I looked at his subtly ravaged skin.

Reaching up I tentatively brushed too scars above his eye, highlighted by the frown he still wore. He flinched away from me, then soothed me with a gentle wash of calm. My frown vanished again, though his remained firmly in place.

Pulling him by the hand that held mine, I led him to a small booth at the back of the diner, me excitement bubbling "I'm-" he began to speak

"Jasper Whitlock, I know. Like I said, you kept me waiting" I suppose my smile could have been considered a little smug as I sat elegantly in the red pleather seat. He took the seat across from me, freeing his hand, which made my smile fade slightly.

"May I ask who you are and-"

"How I knew you were coming? Of course" I leaned my elbows on the table and placed my chin in my hands "I see things" I said simply, my eyes still studying his face. I hated the thought of anything hurting him and those marks would have been painful.

"When I was first changed, I was… alone" I shuddered at the memory and quickly moved on "I probably would have gone insane, completely wild, but then I saw us together, joining the Cullens"

The frown on his face deepened until the wrinkled seemed as though it would be permanently etched upon his brow; my fingers itched to smooth it. "The Cullens?" he cocked his head to the side, plainly confused. "You'll have to pardon me, I don't understand any of this."

I smiled patiently at him (how sweet and polite he was!) and tried again " Well, it's sort of like you controlling emotions" I'd seen that in one of my more recent Cullen family visions "But I don't even control it or even know how it works. Sometimes I can see what will-might- happen. Sometimes the future change, but you, what I saw of you, has been perfectly constant." I smiled "It's a relief."

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I was too stunned to do much more than listen and watch for several seconds, as she spoke swiftly of her change. I did not miss her shudder as she spoke and I wondered what had happened to make her emotions so suddenly frightened and pained. "…but then I saw us together, joining the Cullens" I frowned, tilting my head in confusion "The Cullens?" I said, wanting some clarification "You'll have to pardon me, I don't really understand any of this."

Both her smile and emotions were patient as she tried explaining again. I couldn't help a bit of surprise as she revealed that she knew my 'talent'. So I wasn't the only one who had a little something extra. And this tiny pixie could see the future, had seen our future who knew how long before, and come looking for me because of her vision.

I shook my head, trying to clear it as she watched me with piercing eyes. "So, you saw me and then came to find me? What exactly did you see" I wondered, curious. She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear before attempting to explain.

"Well, the first thing I saw was you. You were standing in the doorway, looking just as you did when you walked in just a few moments ago. I couldn't see you very clearly, I couldn't see what color your eyes were and I couldn't see your…your scars" she said this quietly and my hand jumped to one at my throat. She shook her head quickly and continued. "Then, later, I saw them, the Cullens. They're different than the others Jasper. They've found a way to live without taking human lives." She was leaning foreword toward me now, excitement sparkling in her eyes as she explained. "I saw us, you and I, finding them and…I saw that you would be happier there." She looked down, tracing a scratch in the plastic tabletop with one slender finger. "I know how hard it is for you" she whispered "I saw what you feel when you kill"

I frowned, in her direction, but not really at her. So she knew about that. If there had been any doubt in my mind about what she was telling me, that settled it; the only ones who had any inkling of what I went through when hunting were Peter and Charlotte. For them, and all other vampires that I knew of, hunting and feeding was a relief from the constant pain of thirst. For me however, it was an emotionally painful experience. I felt the emotions of my prey as I killed them, experienced their awe, astonishment, curiosity and building fear as I prowled through the night.

Shaking off these morbid thoughts, I turned my attention back to the woman across from me. "And how do these Cullens survive? We have to feed, so what do they eat if not humans?" I was confused and nervous, making my voice and attitude colder than I had meant it to be. She flinched back from my cold voice, pursing her lips in a worried frown.

"T-they feed off of animals." Her voice stuttered and her eyes went momentarily blank, as if she was staring at something only she could see. Her emotions calmed as she blinked back to the present and she continued speaking with an easier tone. "It's not as…as _satisfying_ as human blood, but it's enough that they can resist the urge to feed off of humans, enough that they can control themselves. That's how I've been feeding." She tilted her head, waiting for who knew what.

I thought about this for several long moments, then reached out and swiftly brushed the corner of her eye with my finger tip. She didn't start or flinch at my touch, simply smiled; she'd know what was coming. "That's why your eyes are different." Gold, not crimson. "And you…you smell funny." I added.

That surprised her. "I do _not_ smell funny." She protested, making me grin. He lower lip jutted out slightly and she pouted.

"You do too." I murmured, then in an effort to placate her I added "Not bad funny, just….different."

She looked at me skeptically, and then seemed to accept the truth of what I'd said. She blinked suddenly, frowning as her eyes glazed again. "We should go." She said hurriedly, coming to her feet in a perfect movement. I followed suit, more slowly and she grabbed my hand again pulling me out the door with a little wave to the owner of the diner.

"Why do we need to go so suddenly?" I inquired, following behind her as she ran through the pouring rain. Her hand fit nicely inside of mine as she pulled me along.

"No reason" she said, her face too perfectly innocent. "C'mon, I'll take you to where I've been staying." I halted though, not allowing her to pull me along and frowned down at her through the rain.

"You're lying…." I paused, frowning as I realized I didn't even know the vampire's name. I opened my mouth to ask, but she beat me to it.

"Alice." She said, smiling brightly at me "And no, I'm not lying."

She turned her eyes away at this though, and I knew it wasn't true. "You know I still don't believe you." I said flatly, allowing her to pull me along once again. Her name was pretty, delicate and ridiculously appropriate for her. She simply shrugged, her hold on my hand tightening. I sighed and stopped, catching her by the other hand, and turning her to face me. "Alice" I said, raising my brows. Her face was wary. "If I can't trust you to tell me the truth, why should I trust you on anything else."

She scowled, seeing the truth of my statement and I felt her give in a half a second before she spoke. "Fine. I saw you attacking one of the waitresses." She muttered, staring down at our shoes like a sullen child.

"Oh." I frowned deeply, feeling sick to my stomach, as I let my breath out in a rush. I hadn't even noticed how tempting any of them smelled; I had been letting my guard down. Without Alice, I would be in serious trouble. "Thanks" I murmured, lifting her chin so that I could smile weakly at her. She grinned cheerfully and patted my cheek gently with one hand

"Not a problem. It's my job."

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As I describe my beautiful, perfect, astounding vision to him, I could see it overlaying it's self in my mind's eye. It was not the actual, original vision, but an exact picture of it as I could remember it. My memory had added it's own little additions, including dark crimson eyes, a sweet southern accent and the frightening tapestry of scars, but it was still much the same picture that my sight had painted those 28 years ago. It pained me to see the way his hand jumped to touch one of the many scars on his throat, and I longed to know what could possibly have happened to hurt him that way.

Shaking my head, I hurried on to my explanation of the Cullens "Then, later, I saw them, the Cullens. They're different than the others Jasper. They've found a way to live without taking human lives." I was excited again now, caught up in my explanation and I leaned toward him, barely noticing as he unconsciously shifted away from me, apparently without knowing he was doing it. . "I saw us, you and I, finding them and…I saw that you would be happier there." My voice dropped, as did my eyes, and for some reason I felt suddenly shy "I know how hard it is for you" my voice was a light, soft whisper of sympathy "I saw what you feel when you kill"

It was such a terrible thing, that pain that he felt. I shuddered at the memory of that particular vision and glanced back up at him through lowered lashes. He was scowling in my direction and his voice was cold as he questioned me. So cold, in fact that I flinched involuntarily, my lips pursing in a frown.

"T-they feed off of animals." I stuttered as I tried to explain under his cool stare. Then I blinked and my mind clouded, rearranging what my physical eyes saw with what my inner eye was seeing. Jasper was relaxed, and his hand suddenly stretched out to gently brush the corner of my eyes, his mouth opening to speak. Then it ended abruptly, cutting off whatever it was the vampire was going to say; apparently we hadn't gotten far enough yet.

Regardless, I relaxed, my chipper mood replacing the fear that his coldness had brought on. "It's not as…as _satisfying_ as human blood, but it's enough that they can resist the urge to feed off of humans, enough that they can control themselves. That's how I've been feeding." It was… difficult, to say the least. The animal blood, particularly that of the herbivores, did not completely alleviate the burning throat, but she could resist. I tilted my head, watching him think and waiting for the touch of his finger. It came, brushing the corner of my eye very lightly, yet sending a slight chill down my spine.

"That's why you smell funny" I frowned at this, his words being not at all what I expected.

"I do _not_ smell funny." I protested, my lower lip jutting foreword in a slight pout. He was grinning! While he was simply stunning with that slightly crooked, tiniest bit awkward smile (I would guess that it hadn't been used recently enough) I was somewhat offended, as he could probably tell.

"You do too." I scowled deeper, opening my mouth to argue "Not bad funny, just…. different." I glowered disbelievingly at him, then shrugged slightly and sighed. Glancing around the room, my mind was suddenly clouded by another vision, this one much more fuzzy, barely giving me the gist of it at first. It was the room we sat in, still the same, but the waitress was coming in our direction…my sight became clearer as I watched, until the sight of Jasper attacking the woman was painfully clear. I frowned unconsciously as I watched, then blinked again, clearing my head.

"We should go" I said the moment I could see him clearly. The distinct-ness of my vision meant that, things had gotten more certain, some decision had been made that would bring about Jasper's attack. I came lithely to my feet and he followed suit, not resisting as I grabbed hold of his hand and towed him swiftly out the door, waving to Bridgett as I left.

It was still pouring, in fact, it seemed to have gotten heavier and as I ran at a human pace through the down poor he wondered about the sudden rush. I smiled innocently at him "No reason. C'mon I'll take you to where I've been staying." Instead of coming he halted, not pulling his hand free, but simply frowning at me.

"You're lying…" I could guess what he was going to ask; I didn't need to see the little flicker of his question that my eye showed me.

"Alice. And no, I'm not lying." My smile brightened but I turned my eyes away as I lied, hoping to deceive him.

"You know I still don't believe you." I didn't fool him, though he allowed me to pull him along once again. I shrugged and tightened my hold on his hand as he sighed and halted once again. He grabbed my other hand, pulling me around to face him. His shadowed face was serious, rain drenched hair plastered to his forehead and my heart thrilled as he said my name. I knew that my face was wary as he spoke and I tried to hide it "If I can't trust you to tell me the truth, why should I trust you on anything else."

I scowled. He was right of course. He was not naturally a trusting person, I could tell this, and I should not make this any more difficult for him then it needed to be I caved "Fine. I saw you attacking one of the waitresses." I muttered to our shoes.

I heard, then felt his huff of breath, cool against my rain soaked hair. The rain was dripping off of the tip of my pointed nose as he lifted my chin, smiling at me again "Thanks"


End file.
